The Exciting Terry Gibbs Big Band

Ah one! Two! Ah three! FOUR!!

Even something as simple as a count-in oozed with ethusiasm when Terry Gibbs was at the helm.  This is not your typical big band however, and certainly not your typical big band album.  Desert island album?  Pretty damn close.  This one has it all.  An incredible energy, translated from the live performance to us, the listener.  All star line up of players.  The best in composers/arrangers, with originals wrote just for Terry, and by Terry.  To top it all off, this has to be one of the best recorded, live big band shows on record.

This side is quite rare.  It's not that it's impossible to find, but to find one in reasonable condition is another story.  In the late 80's and early 90's, Contemporary began releasing a series of albums with this group.  They changed the name to "The Terry Gibbs Dream Band".   Certainly an appropriate name when one looks at the roster.   But this group is more than just a bunch of star power and hype...much, much more.

They were called the "Exciting" big band for a reason.  This group could do it all, but always with a flare for fun and excitement.  Clearly, with the skill level available, the arrangers went to town.  Bill Holman, Al Cohn, Shorty Rogers and Manny Albam spun these tunes into absolute gold.  Gibbs could lead his group to huge dynamic heights - glorious, crisp brass soaring overtop a driving and pulsing swing.  But he could strip it down to a quiet calm, enough to make you forget that there are 17 players getting ready to pounce!   In my mind, the Gibbs big band are up there with Eckstine and Basie in terms of dynamics. 

Stylistically, the tunes range nicely, from slow pokin' blues, to high flying, dance worthy swing.  Gibbs takes many solos, but always in great taste.  We also hear from the saxes, probably more so than the trumpets which is unusual for a big band.  The best part of this album is it's undeniable live energy, best defined by the soul callin' between Gibbs and the rest of the band.  Audible are the shouts of joy, encouragement and just plain fun the band is clearly having.

I worked really hard on this one guys, and it paid off big time.  I am really proud of the finished product, albeit not perfect.  I think you'll agree, the fidelity is incredible making this a dynamite listen.  This original Verve (V-2151) was ripped at 24/44.1 wav and dithered to 16/44.1 FLAC, there is little to no noise here folks.  Just 100% swingin jazz...enjoy!!!

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Verve (V-2151)

Recorded Live At The Summit, Hollywood, CA

January, 1961

Bass – Buddy Clark
Drums – Mel Lewis
Piano – Pat Moran
Saxophone – Bill Perkins, Charlie Kennedy, Jack Nimitz, Joe Maini, Richie Kamuca
Trombone – Bob Edmondson, Frank Rosolino, Vern Friley
Trumpet – Al Porcino, Conte Candoli, Frank Huggins, Ray Triscari, Stu Williamson
Vibraphone – Terry Gibbs

The Exciting Terry Gibbs Big Band 1959

Some of you old school Cryptheads will recall the series we ran on Terry Gibbs big band back at the old Crypt.  During the late 80's, Contemporary reissued several of these fantastic albums originally released on Mercury and Verve.  They dubbed the band the "Terry Gibbs Dream Band" and using new artwork, titled the albums by volume.  As great as their efforts were, they missed this great debut album - Launching A New Band.

This side sounds just as the others do and includes that amazing cast of all star west coast players.  Bill Holman provides the impeccable arrangements.  I would say that overall the band is a touch less frantic when it comes to their pace, but not Gibbs soloing!!!  The vibes are definitely the centerpiece here and Gibbs doesn't disapoint delivering high flying solos everywhere he can.  The tunes run short and yet he somehow still manages to get his chorus' in.

Along with this album, I am including the first volume of Contemporary's Dream Band series.  This album was not a reissue and was infact debuted to ring in this look at Gibbs' big band.  It's a live concert recorded at the Seville in Hollywood from 1959.  This is the same year that "Launching" was released and we find the band giving live treatments of several tunes from the album.  The two albums make a great pair.  Personally, I prefer the live album as the band feels much more loose.

Each album has been ripped at 24/44.1 wav and dithered to 16/44.1 FLAC.  Dream Band is absolute mint with wonderful recording while "Launching" is near mint with great fidelity as well.  If there is interest for me to re-up some of the older Gibbs posts, please let me know in your comments and I will consider it in the upcoming weeks.  Have fun listening to one of the greatest big bands ever assembled...  enjoy!!!

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Launching A New Band

Mercury SR60112
1959

Alto Saxophone – Charlie Kennedy, Joe Maini
Baritone Saxophone – Jack Schwartz
Bass – Joe Mondragon (tracks: A3, A4, B3, B4), Max Bennett (tracks: A1, A2, A5 to B2, B5, B6)
Drums – Mel Lewis
Piano – Pete Jolly
Tenor Saxophone – Bill Holman, Med Flory
Trombone – Bob Enevoldsen, Frank Rosolino, Vern Friley
Trumpet – Al Porcino, Conte Candoli, Phil Gilbert (tracks: A3, A4, B3, B4), Ray Triscari (tracks: A1, A2, A5 to B2, B5, B6), Stu Williamson
Vibraphone – Terry Gibbs

A1 Opus No.1 2:47 

A2 Moten Swing 3:01
A3 I'm Getting Sentimental Over You 2:37
A4 Let's Dance 3:29
A5 Stardust 3:30
A6 Cottontail 2:56
B1 Begin The Beguine 2:30
B2 Jumpin' At The Woodside 2:46
B3 Prelude To A Kiss 3:04
B4 Don't Be That Way 3:55
B5 Midnight Sun 3:28
B6 Flyin' Home 2:53

It is ironic that the Contemporary label came out with five CDs worth of unknown material by the Terry Gibbs Big Band while Polygram has completely neglected its studio sides by the same group. The music on this set, last available as a Trip LP, was the first by Gibbs' "Dream Band," a swinging outfit of top studio musicians who were based in L.A. at the time. This album is comprised of two arrangements apiece by Bill Holman, Bob Brookmeyer, Manny Albam, Al Cohn, Med Flory and Marty Paich, which pay tribute to Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton and Tommy Dorsey. The tunes are mostly overly familiar (including "Stardust," "Cotton Tail," "Begin the Beguine" and "Flying Home") and clock in around three minutes, meaning that the solos are quite concise, but there are some good individual moments from the vibraphonist/leader, trumpeter Conte Candoli, and trombonist Frank Rosolino. - Scott Yanow / AMG

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The Terry Gibbs Dream Band Vol.1

Contemporary C-7647
1986
Recorded live at the Seville, Hollywood 1959

1 Begin The Beguine 2:28
2 Don't Be That Way 6:26
3 Cottontail 3:43
4 Stardust 3:12
5 Opus One 6:00
6 After You've Gone 3:42
7 You Go To My Head 5:17
8 Let's Dance 3:25
9 The Subtle Sermon 8:24
10 Kissin' Bug 4:45
11 Jumpin' At The Woodside 4:30

Alto Saxophone – Charlie Kennedy, Joe Maini
Baritone Saxophone – Jack Schwartz
Bass – Max Bennett
Drums – Mel Lewis
Piano – Pete Jolly
Tenor Saxophone – Bill Holman, Med Flory
Trombone – Bob Enevoldsen, Joe Cadena, Vern Friley
Trumpet – Al Porcino, Conte Candoli, Ray Triscari, Stu Williamson
Vibraphone – Terry Gibbs

The music on this CD, not released for the first time until 1986, features the formerly little-known Terry Gibbs Big Band, an orchestra that worked fairly regularly in Los Angeles from 1959-1962. The repertoire is primarily swing-era standards, but the arrangements (by Bill Holman, Bob Brookmeyer, Al Cohn, Marty Paich, and Manny Albam) are fairly modern for the time; the all-star group's ensembles are tight and such colorful soloists as vibraphonist Gibbs, valve trombonist Bob Enevoldsen, trumpeters Stu Williamson and Conte Candoli, tenorman Bill Holman, pianist Pete Jolly, and altoist Joe Maini are heard from. There would be five CDs released by this band; this is an excellent set to start with. - 4.5/5.0 "Album Pick" Scott Yanow / AMG